ABOUT RIVER CORNER CHURCH
Who we are together.
River Corner Church is a growing church community of everyday people who gather to worship God, follow Jesus, and journey through life together.
What we practice together.
Our small church community is uniquely caring, simple, laid-back and intergenerational. As a church we want to be a welcoming, safe and healing community for those who are seeking, hurting, or need a place to belong. Our practices are contemplative (reflective) and charismatic (Spirit-driven), conversational and informative. The times we share together are intentional and intimate, and a mix between modern and traditional. We want to be a place in which love and honor are lived out, where humility is central, and where hospitality is woven into the threads of our community. There is room at the table.
What we value together.
We gather to worship and experience God.
We study the scriptures to learn how to follow, live and love like Jesus.
We are committed to journeying through life together.
We partner with the Holy Spirit to bring healing and peace to the places we live, work, and play.
What we believe together.
(coming soon)
When we gather together.
River Corner Church gathers weekly on Sunday mornings at 10:00 AM to worship and experience God, study the scriptures, journey through life together and to partner with the Holy Spirit. Our church community is located in Conestoga, Pennsylvania. In fact, we meet in a a simple church space at 524 River Corner Road in Conestoga, Pennsylvania. You are welcome to gather with us as you are, just be yourself. In addition to our Sunday mornings, through our community page, you will find that there are other times that we hold small groups, events and more.
Our Story.
In the 1700s, Jesus-followers moved into the Conestoga area and began to gather in homes for worship and encouragement. A meetinghouse was built in 1760 to host this growing community, on the land of a local farmer named Benedict Eshleman. After his death, Eshleman willed the land to the church community and that land is where our current building sits today. Throughout the years, we have always been a smaller church community that pursues great intentionality. Today, we are a church community that is made up of a diverse collection of families and stories from all over. We are a place where many stories become one. Our church has been in this neighborhood for a long time and our story has had many different chapters, and many more chapters continue to be written. We are thankful for the way our story has shaped us, but even more we are excited about the new ways God continues to move in and through our church community.
Our Ministry Team.
Our church community is facilitated by a five person Leadership Team which includes two members at large, a treasurer, recording secretary and our Pastor. In addition to our Leadership Team, we have a Ministry Team that is responsible for the life of our church community. Our Ministry Team is below.
Jeff McLain, Pastor
Jeff has served as our pastoral leader since April 2022. He is currently a doctoral student at Fuller Seminary, where he also has earned two masters degrees - one in Theology and Ministry and another in Leadership. Jeff also holds a Graduate Certificate in Non-profit Management from City Vision University. In addition to serving River Corner Church, Jeff serves full-time as the Director of Pastoral Ministries at Water Street Mission. In addition to over 13 years of pastoral ministry, Jeff has enjoyed event promotion, leadership coaching, blogging and podcasting. For over 17 years, Jeff has been happily married to Katie. Jeff, Katie and their three wander-filled daughters, are avid fans of road trips, baseball, boardwalks, beaches and books.
Katie McLain, Pastoral Care
Katie, the other half of our pastoral couple, has served in the role of pastoral care since April 2022. She grew up in Southern California, before moving to attend Lancaster Bible College in Pennsylvania. In Pennsylvania, she fell in love with the beauty, cities and history on the East Coast. It was also in a local Pennsylvanian diner that she met Jeff, and they have now been married for over seventeen years. With their three high-energy daughters, they try to live adventurously and with simplicity. For over sixteen years, Katie had been previously involved in early childhood education. She holds an Associate Degree in Early Childhood Education from Northampton Community College, where she made the Dean's List each semester and was inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. These days, she works the deli at Wawa in East Petersburg.
Laura Metzler, Worship Leader
Laura has served as our worship leader since June 2023. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Houghton College and a Masters in Education from Eastern Mennonite University. In addition to a combined 9 years of classroom teaching and homeschooling, Laura has enjoyed teaching private piano, guitar, and violin lessons over the last 20 years. She loves to help others enter God's presence through her music and worship leading. Laura works part time as manager at the Mennonite Life Visitors Center and Biblical Tabernacle Experience. She lives in Lampeter with her husband and four children.
